Chandor

Overview

Thirteen kilometers through the fertile rice fields of Salcete to the east of Margao lies the sleepy village of Chandor, a handful of dilapidated villas and farmhouses lining shady alleys. The main reason to visit is the magnificent Casa Pereira Braganza/Menesis Braganza (open daily except holidays; suggested donation 50 rupees), which is considered the grandest of Goa's colonial mansions. Built by the wealthy Braganza family for their two sons in the 1500s, with its enormous two-story façade and 28 windows flanking the entrance, the house sits proudly above the dusty village square. Braganza de Pereira, the great-grandfather of the present owner of the house, was the last knight of the King of Portugal; and in more recent times, Menezes Braganza (1879 - 1938), a renowned journalist and freedom fighter, became one of the few Goan aristocrats to actively oppose Portuguese rule. The family, forced to flee Chandor in 1950, returned in 1962 to find, to their surprise, that the house had not been damaged at all. The cool, tiled interiors of both wings of the house house a collection of antiques. Furniture connoisseurs and lovers of rare Chinese porcelain in particular will find much to enjoy, while those interested in religious relics should ask to see the diamond-encrusted toenail of St. Francis Xavier, recently removed from a local bank safe and placed in the sanctuary of a small chapel in east wing. The house's most famous feature, however, is its ostentatiously enormous ballroom, or Grand Salon, whose pride is a pair of high-backed chairs given to the Pereira-Braganza family by King Don Luis of Portugal.

Guests of Chandor mainly come here by taxi, but you can also get there by bus from Margao (8 trips daily; 45 min). It's usually possible to come without an appointment, but to make sure there will be someone at home to receive you, it's best to call ahead.